Teenage kicks?

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Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Dear Mith, I'm afraid the mere fact that you chose this thread title and I got the allusion makes both of us hopelessly middle-aged.
And while I'm at it, I couldn't resist (with apologies to The Undertones):

Another book from the library
'bout a hobbit's treasure hunt and burglary
It's the best that I ever read
only Thorin's death made me feel so sad
I wanna read past bedtime with a flash light
get teenage kicks all thru the night

Hehe, I'm bit younger than you I suppose but still immediately thought of that tune. And what a tune, I've had many high times listening to it. My guitar was standing next to me and I just tried playing it with your words, actually. A bit of a tongue-twister, it must be said, but nice anyway!

[Mithalwen]

Well I was a bit young to really notice when it came out but it is a classic..it would have to be to permeate my radar which is usually tuned to baroque opera if anything....

[Galadriel55]

If you are introduced to Tolkien as a child, it's probably better to start with TH, because the concepts are less complex, and never mind the vocabulary. If you are trying to get a teenager or an adult to read both TH and LOTR, start with the latter one! I've talked to a few adults who have read TH first and didn't get past The Fellowship, because they said "It's TH all over again - what's the point of reading this?" and they say so because they don't know any better. I guess it really depends on the age (well...maybe maturity and reading level and the ability to grasp concepts and read in between the lines) which one you should read first.